Construction
Level 1 Reading
Module: Conduct and disciplinary action
at work
Module Aims
Main aim
We are learning about the meaning of words and expressions used in induction training.
Other learning aims
We are: reading for meaning to complete information in a table; learning about warning signs
you may see on a building site.
Module: Conduct and disciplinary action at work
On Lech’s first day on a new site for Better Homes Ltd, he had a site induction. This
included information about how to behave at work. The presenter used these slides
to tell him about conduct and the disciplinary policy. Read them.
Conduct and Disciplinary Action
BH Ltd expects you to act responsibly and respect
personal safety, the safety of others, the
environment and the facilities provided. It is
important that you play your part.
This site operates a red and yellow card system for
breaches of safety.
Normally, red card offences
will result in
immediate removal of
the individual from the site.
Better Homes Ltd
Examples include:
• knowingly putting yourself or others at risk of serious
injury
• smoking where it is prohibited
• interfering with safety equipment (fire alarms,
extinguishers, hand rails and scaffolding etc)
• horseplay or malicious behaviour that could lead to
injury
• consuming or bringing on site alcohol, illegal drugs or
substances
• being under the influence of alcohol, illegal drugs or
substances
• urinating or defecating other than in the facilities
provided
Better Homes Ltd
2
Abbreviations or shortened words:
etc means and so on.
It comes from a Latin phrase et cetera.
Some companies use terms that come from sport. Red and yellow cards are used in
football to warn players or send them off. Employers sometimes use expressions like
these because they are well known and understood easily by most employees.
3
Task 1: Word check
Read the slides and check any words or phrases (groups of words) that you do not
understand. Sometimes, the rest of the words in the sentence give you an idea about
what the word means. Here are some of the words from the slides. Put the number of
the word or words next to what you think it means (the definition). The first one is
done for you.
1. conduct
a punishment for doing wrong
2. disciplinary action
not allowed
3. act responsibly
break
4. respect
playing around in a silly way
5. breach
1
behaviour – the way you behave
6. offence
going to the toilet
7. prohibited
behave in a sensible way
8. interfering
eating and drinking
9. horseplay
places for use by staff
10. malicious
take care of – behave well towards
11. consuming
an action that breaks the rules
12. illegal
altering or tampering with something
13. urinating or defecating
nasty or dangerous
14. facilities
against the law
Grammar check
We write simple sentences in the order of:
subject
verb
object
Red card offences will result in the removal (of the individual from the site)...
This sentence makes (red card) offences the subject of the sentence. Many signs
on sites are written this way. We can put in another way:
An individual will be removed from the site for a red card offence.
4
Task 2: Red card offences
When a red card is shown in football, the player is sent off the field. On this building
site, it means that someone will lose their job.
The title of the first slide is Conduct and disciplinary action. This is another way of
saying behaviour and what happens when the rules are broken.
Look at these phrases from the slides and match the expression to what it means.
The first one is done for you.
knowingly putting yourself and
others at risk of serious injury
smoking in an area where it is clear
no one is allowed to smoke
smoking where it is prohibited
playing around or acting in a nasty
way which could hurt someone else
interfering with safety equipment
(fire alarms, extinguishers, hand
rails and scaffolding etc.)
being affected by alcohol, banned
drugs or anything else which it is
against the law to take
horseplay or malicious behaviour
that could lead to injury
tampering with equipment like fire
extinguishers or other safety
equipment
consuming or bringing on site
alcohol, illegal drugs or substances
allowing yourself and other people to
be in danger when you know
something could happen
being under the influence of alcohol,
illegal drugs or substances
going to the toilet anywhere on the
site other than in the toilets that have
been provided by the employer for
you to use
urinating or defecating other than in
the facilities provided
eating or drinking beer, wines or
spirits, banned drugs on site or
anything else which is against the
law to take
5
Yellow card offences
Examples include:
• Not wearing personal protective equipment
e.g. helmet, boots, eye protection where
required
• Ignoring safety rules
• Ignoring safety instructions
• Speeding on site
• Causing offence to members of the public
Better Homes Ltd
Conduct and Disciplinary Action
Yellow card offences
This works on the principle:
‘Two strikes and you’re out’
Better Homes Ltd
Abbreviations or shortened words
e.g. means for example.
It comes from two Latin words that mean for example.
6
Yellow card offences
Two strikes and you’re out.
Sometimes, popular sayings are used to help employees remember the rules. This
saying means that if you break any of the rules on the slide twice, then you will lose
your job.
You’re is a contraction.
A contraction is writing something in a shorter way.
You’re is the same as writing You are.
You ‘(a)re
Task 3
Read the last two slides and check any words or phrases (groups of words) that you
do not understand. Here are some of the words from the slides. Put the number of
the word or words next to what you think it means (the definition). The first one is
done for you.
1. principle
2. ignoring
going too fast
1
a rule or standard
3. speeding
being impolite or insulting
4. members of the public
taking no notice of
5. causing offence
people who are not employees
Some of the words we have used in the tasks have opposites in meaning,
for instance:
public: private
Match these words with their opposites.
1. impolite
allowed
2. prohibited
minor
3. illegal
4. serious
1
polite
legal
7
Task 4: Red card or yellow card?
You have looked at all the slides Lech saw during his site induction. Now look at the
sentences below. Use the information from the slides to say if you think these
employees were shown a red card or a yellow card for what they did.
red card
yellow
card
Jojo was drunk when she came back from lunch and clearly
unable to work safely.
Yannic was driving the dumper truck around the site above
the site speed limit.
A visitor entered the site and Ivana was rude to her when
she asked her the way to the site office.
Patek was caught going to the toilet beside the site fencing
because he didn’t want to waste time walking back to the
toilets.
Asha didn’t have her hard hat when she reported for work in
the morning.
Azi and Hiresh were playing around with a nail gun and
could have hurt someone badly.
Kirstie was seen smoking a cigarette near the gas cylinders
by the no smoking sign.
Novak did not have his high visibility jacket on when he was
working in an area where everybody needed to wear one.
Tran could not be bothered to tie off the ladder properly to
the scaffolding and someone fell off it.
Misha smoked a joint of cannabis during the work break.
Talia pulled off the inspection tag from the fire extinguisher
when she took it from its holder because she was curious
about how it worked.
8
Task 5: Slips and trips at work
Aim: We are reading for meaning to complete information in a table.
Slips and trips are the most common cause of non-fatal major injuries and account
for over half of all reported injuries to members of the public.
Look at this risk assessment for slips and trips. Some of the information about safe
methods has not been put in the table. See if you can put the information in the right
place. The first one is done for you.
Risk assessment – Slips and trips
Scan down
the column
to find
the hazard
you are
looking for
Safe
methods/controls
Hazard
At risk
Spillage of wet
and dry
substances
All construction
operatives and
visitors to the site
Trailing cables
All construction
operatives and
visitors to the site
Keep areas clear.
Remove rubbish and do
not allow it to build up.
Rubbish and
plastic bags
All construction
operatives and
visitors to the site
Position equipment to
avoid cables crossing
access routes. Use cable
covers to fix securely to
surfaces. Consider use of
cordless tools.
Poor lighting
All construction
operatives and
visitors to the site
Improve the visibility and
provide hand rails. Use
floor markings.
Slippery
surfaces
All construction
operatives and
visitors to the site
Assess the cause and treat
accordingly. In certain
situations, you may have to
treat the surface with
chemicals.
Changes of
level
All construction
operatives and
visitors to the site
Improve lighting levels and
placement of light fittings to
ensure more even lighting
of all floor areas.
Slopes
All construction
operatives and
visitors to the site
Ensure workers use
suitable footwear. If the
type of work requires
special protective footwear,
the employer is required by
law to provide it free of
charge.
Unsuitable
footwear
All construction
operatives
Try to avoid changes of
level. If you can’t, improve
the lighting and add visible
tread nosings.
Clean spills up
immediately. Use
barriers to warn people
the floor is wet.
9
Black and yellow warning signs
Aim:
We are learning about warning signs you may see on a building site.
Read the information about black and yellow signs.
Black and yellow signs are very important in the construction
industry. They are warning signs. They tell you to be careful and
warn you about hazards.
This sign is warning you that a substance (or material) is harmful.
It will have words below it that tells you how the substance can
harm you.
When you see
this sign, it
means that the
substance is
toxic. This
means that it is
deadly: it can
kill you.
When you see
this sign, it
means that the
substance is
corrosive.
This means
that it could
irritate your
skin or burn
your skin very
badly.
When you see
this sign, it
means that
that the
substance is
explosive.
This means
that it could
blow up or
explode.
This sign is a
This sign warns
warning about laser about radioactive
beams.
substances.
When you see
this sign, it
means that the
substance is
flammable.
This means
that it is very
likely to catch
fire or ignite.
This signs warns
about a biological
hazard that could
damage the
environment.
When you see
this sign, it
means that the
substance is
oxidising.
This means
that it can join
(combine) with
oxygen on
contact with
the air.
This signs warns
about compressed
gas cylinders.
10
Task 6: Test yourself
Use the information about warning signs to find out what these signs mean.
Which sign means flammable substance?




This sign means:

warning: compressed gas.

warning: radioactive material.

warning: biological hazard.

warning: laser beams.
Which sign means toxic substance?




This sign means:

warning: compressed gas.

warning: radioactive material.

warning: biological hazard.

warning: laser beams.
11
Which sign means corrosive substance?




This sign means:

warning: compressed gas.

warning: radioactive material.

warning: biological hazard.

warning: laser beams.
Which sign means oxidising substance?




This sign means:

warning: compressed gas.

warning: radioactive material.

warning: biological hazard.

warning: laser beams.
12
How did you get on?
Module: Conduct and disciplinary action at work answers
Task 1: answers
1. conduct
2
a punishment for doing wrong
2. disciplinary action
7
not allowed
3. act responsibly
5
break
4. respect
9
playing around in a silly way
5. breach
1
behaviour – the way you behave
6. offence
13
going to the toilet
7. prohibited
3
behave in a sensible way
8. interfering
11
eating and drinking
9. horseplay
14
places for use by staff
10. malicious
4
take care of – behave well towards
11. consuming
6
an action that breaks the rules
12. illegal
8
altering or tampering with something
13. urinating or defecating
10
nasty or dangerous
14. facilities
12
against the law
13
Task 2: answers
knowingly putting yourself and
others at risk of serious injury
smoking in an area where it is clear
no one is allowed to smoke
smoking where it is prohibited
playing around or acting in a nasty
way which could hurt someone else
interfering with safety equipment
(fire alarms, extinguishers, hand
rails and scaffolding etc.)
being affected by alcohol, banned
drugs or anything else which it is
against the law to take
horseplay or malicious behaviour
that could lead to injury
tampering with equipment like fire
extinguishers or other safety
equipment
consuming or bringing on site
alcohol, illegal drugs or substances
allowing yourself and other people to
be in danger when you know
something could happen
being under the influence of
alcohol, illegal drugs or substances
going to the toilet anywhere on the
site other than in the toilets that have
been provided by the employer for
you to use
urinating or defecating other than in
the facilities provided
eating or drinking beer, wines or
spirits, banned drugs on site or
anything else which is against the
law to take
14
Task 3: answers
1. principle
3
going too fast
2. ignoring
1
a rule or standard
3. speeding
5
being impolite or insulting
4. members of the public
2
taking no notice of
5. causing offence
4
people who are not employees
Match the words with their opposites.
1. impolite
2
allowed
2. prohibited
4
minor
3. illegal
1
polite
4. serious
3
legal
Word check
There is a variety of words you will see on notices at work that are used to talk about
what we can do and what we can’t do. The positive words are used for signs that tell
us what we can do and the negative words tell us what we can’t do. Look at these
positive words with their opposites.
positive
negative
permitted
not permitted or prohibited
allowed
not allowed
authorised
unauthorised or not allowed
15
Task 4: answers
red card
Jojo was drunk when she came back from lunch and clearly
unable to work safely.


Yannic was driving the dumper truck around the site above
the site speed limit.
A visitor entered the site and Ivana was rude to her when
she asked her the way to the site office.
Patek was caught going to the toilet beside the site fencing
because he didn’t want to waste time walking back to the
toilets.
yellow
card


Asha didn’t have her hard hat when she reported for work in
the morning.

Azi and Hiresh were playing around with a nail gun and
could have hurt someone badly.

Kirstie was seen smoking a cigarette near the gas cylinders
by the no smoking sign.


Novak did not have his high visibility jacket on when he was
working in an area where everybody needed to wear one.
Tran could not be bothered to tie off the ladder properly to
the scaffolding and someone fell off it.

Misha smoked a joint of cannabis during the work break.

Talia pulled off the inspection tag from the fire extinguisher
when she took it from its holder because she was curious
about how it worked.

Remember
Red card offences can be called gross misconduct. If you commit gross
misconduct or break any of the red card rules, you could lose your job immediately.
16
Task 5: answers
Risk assessment – Slips and trips
Hazard
At risk
Spillage of wet
and dry
substances
All construction
operatives and
visitors to the site
Trailing cables
All construction
operatives and
visitors to the site
Safe methods/controls
Clean spills up
immediately. Use barriers
to warn people the floor
is wet.
Position equipment to
avoid cables crossing
access routes. Use cable
covers to fix securely to
surfaces. Consider use
of cordless tools.
Rubbish and
plastic bags
All construction
operatives and
visitors to the site
Poor lighting
All construction
operatives and
visitors to the site
Slippery
surfaces
All construction
operatives and
visitors to the site
Changes
of level
All construction
operatives and
visitors to the site
Improve lighting levels
and placement of light
fittings to ensure more
even lighting of all floor
areas.
Assess the cause and
treat accordingly. In
certain situations, you
may have to treat the
surface with chemicals.
Try to avoid changes of
level. If you can’t,
improve the lighting and
add visible tread nosings.
Slopes
All construction
operatives and
visitors to the site
Improve the visibility and
provide hand rails. Use
floor markings.
All construction
operatives
Ensure workers use
suitable footwear. If the
type of work requires
special protective
footwear, the employer is
required by law to
provide it free of charge.
Unsuitable
footwear
Keep areas clear.
Remove rubbish and do
not allow it to build up.
Keep areas clear.
Remove rubbish and do
not allow it to build up.
Position equipment to
avoid cables crossing
access routes. Use
cable covers to fix
securely to surfaces.
Consider use of
cordless tools.
Improve the visibility
and provide hand rails.
Use floor markings.
Assess the cause and
treat accordingly. In
certain situations, you
may have to treat the
surface with chemicals.
Improve lighting levels
and placement of light
fittings to ensure more
even lighting of all floor
areas.
Ensure workers use
suitable footwear. If the
type of work requires
special protective
footwear, the employer
is required by law to
provide it free of charge.
Try to avoid changes of
level. If you can’t,
improve the lighting and
add visible tread
nosings.
17
Task 6: answers
Which sign means flammable substance?




This sign means:

warning: compressed gas.

warning: radioactive material.

warning: biological hazard.

warning: laser beams.
Which sign means toxic substance?




This sign means:

warning: compressed gas.

warning: radioactive material.

warning: biological hazard.

warning: laser beams.
18
Which sign means corrosive substance?




This sign means:

warning: compressed gas.

warning: radioactive material.

warning: biological hazard.

warning: laser beams.
Which sign means oxidising substance?




This sign means:

warning: compressed gas.

warning: radioactive material.

warning: biological hazard.

warning: laser beams.
19